Insights Canada can take from Israel on Nationalism

The National Flag of Israel on the side of a building

Almost a month ago now I had the opportunity to take part in a media tour of Israel. I have released some podcast episodes and videos from the briefings we received but I have not really talked about the experience from my direct point of view. Covering their war has been an interesting endeavor of expanding past podcasting/blogging about Canada and more into journalism. My goal has been to take the information presented and show it to people and they can make decisions based on that information. I do however want to talk about the concept that intrigued me the most while I was there, Israel’s hyper-nationalism and how it stands in stark contrast to Canada’s Post-Nationalism.

Hyper-Nationalism on display

When we got to the airport in Cyprus we were worried that we might miss our plane, we had landed late and had to do a mad rush through the airport including another screening of our luggage which had already been screened twice in other airports. When we finally did reach the gate I scanned my ticket expecting to be let on the plane but instead we were pulled aside for about 20 minutes of additional screening. We were asked what our purpose was for going into Israel, what we were going to be doing, we had to show copies of our tour itinerary and we were cross examined by several people in suits. At one point I was deadpan asked, “who’s side are you on?” followed by “How many Jews do you know? Eventually we were let onto the plane and we landed in Israel. When we arrived at the airport I was again asked some questions by the border control personnel before finally being let into the Country.

It is immediately apparent upon landing that you are in a Nationalist Country. There are Israeli flags everywhere, the Star of David is adorned on so many objects. There is artwork that reflects different areas of interest, culture and history. Many important buildings also have the stone patterns known as “Jerusalem stone” in the walls and floors. As well there are innumerable references to the October 7th massacre. The faces of hostages on posters greet you everywhere you go with the words in Hebrew and English “Bring Them Home Now!”. I mean it when I say that everywhere you go there are Israel flags, they adorn buildings, people wear them on clothing and many businesses also fly them. There is no hesitation to showcase their cultural symbols. They promote Israeli art, artists, they have Israel specific chain restaurants that are alike to Western franchises (like Starbucks) but with Israel themes.

The first night we were there, despite being jet-lagged, we wandered around the busy streets of Tel Aviv. I asked the hotel employee if the this area was safe and he looked at me like I was simple. He told me that unless we heard sirens the streets were perfectly safe to walk at all hours of the day and night. There were no tent cities, no gang members eyeing us down, no one strung out on meth. People were just out, enjoying the warm weather. The streets were generally clean, no feces or vomit on the sidewalks. I wandered into a nearby market and did some shopping (no issues with using credit or debit cards here) and suddenly I realized that I could actually relax. I was somewhere, although at war, in which there was a strong social contract. In Canada it is almost unheard of outside of specific areas to see orthodox Jews or even Jews wearing their cultural kippah. In Israel it is just second nature. Outside of the warzone areas, at no point in time did I feel unsafe.

At one point in our tour we went to the Library in Jerusalem and unlike in Canada the library here was actually used for its intended purpose. There were many local tours and school groups there to learn about the history of Israel, not very many tourists like us due to the war. People seem to have a genuine interest in their history, architecture and being social with others. One thing in particular I noted at the Library is the constant archiving of material. A record of nearly everything media produced is archived which allows for a distinct culture to remain prominent and enforces a cultural hegemony. It also helps to hold Government accountable.

Other cultures are allowed to exist in Israel, there are thriving Muslim and Christian communities however they operate within the sphere of the knowledge that they are in a Jewish Country. Immigration is almost out of the question unless one is Jewish. There are no open borders and no one is calling for open borders. The law system although similar to a Western Liberal Democracy for it’s tolerance of other Cultures, is most certainly a homogenous State. All laws passed in Israel must demonstrate how they are supportive of the Jewish population. There is a nationalist lens over the actions of their Knesset (Parliament).

If there is a take away from the overall trip in regards to Israel as a Country. It embraces Nationalism.

The Post-National Comparison

In 2015 our Prime Minister in a New York Times interview made a very bold statement in which he declared that Canada is a Post-National State. Meaning that we have no core identity, nothing that binds us together as a nation. Upon making that statement, besides a few shakers in the media sphere we the Canadian people largely went along with it. We agreed with him essentially by our utter lack of push back or scorn for such statements. There are consequences for making such statements and we have seen what was already a decline in our social contract utterly crumble the past nine years. Our Country essentially opened its borders and told anyone and everyone that they could come here and bring their culture, symbols and conflicts with them and they have done just that. Our culture has become one of promoting the interests, needs and wants of the worlds diaspora groups above our own. We actively mock, insult and mythologize our history. People here pledge allegiance to corporations, celebrities and special interest organizations. We have an idol style worship of things that actively seek to destroy us while attempting to destroy anything that would bind us together as part of a social contract.

The laws we pass do not come from the lens of what would benefit the Canadian population but instead, what would benefit the most number of specialty stakeholder groups. Our schools teach kids to hate Canada, that we must always be atoning for the sins of our dark past. This lack of cultural cohesion means that what symbols and traditions we do have are constantly under attack from within and from outside forces. Our National Anthem was updated, recently the Navy was told it must change its song “Heart of Oak” because of problematic wording…everything is in a constant state of flux and change meant to make us as bland and unassuming as possible. It also means that we can’t trust any knowledge of our history, any information presented to us is subject to change or deconstruction at any time.

“Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book has been rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street and building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And that process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right.” (Orwell, 1984)

It’s rare to even see a Canadian flag flown on a building that isn’t a Federal Government building and even then there are other flags raised in honor of some group. Municipalities have flag raising days where diaspora and special interest groups raise their flags on Government property for some cause of the day. Most people cannot name our achievements, accurately discuss our history and attendance at National inspiring events like Canada Day, Decoration Day or Remembrance Day have been in extreme decline.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/ontario-human-rights-tribunal-fines-emo-township-for-refusing-pride-proclamation-1.7390134

If this is what being a “Western Liberal Democracy” is in 2024, I am not impressed. I have been writing about social issues in Canada on my Substack here for over a year and having gone to a Country that embraces itself and can clearly define what it stands for and does so unabashedly I am embarrassed for us. Canada does not need to be a religious State like Israel and it probably shouldn’t but we need to stand for something. We need to ditch this post-national experiment because it isn’t working. While Richard Dawkins may believe that Jordan Peterson is drunk on symbolism, I believe that not having any unifying symbols at all just “the facts” has had an utterly crippling effect on our psyche as a Nation. Our utter lack of social re-enforcement of our symbols has allowed them to be appropriated by a range of diaspora groups who have taken them and use them to their needs (with force if necessary). This year at Remembrance Day, one of the last remaining Canadian Cultural traditions, pro-hamas groups took it upon themselves to use our symbols to promote their dead martyrs. Those who complained were told they were bigots, racists and that they don’t have a monopoly on the poppy. The deconstructionists said that they poppy is a national symbol of Palestine so what are we complaining about? In one egregious example our traditions were mocked by an educational leader:

Principal Aaron Hobbs defended the selection during one of those meetings, saying it was chosen to bring diversity and inclusion to Remembrance Day that is usually only about “a white guy who has done something related to the military.”- National Post

Now that the attacks have come for one of our last remaining cultural traditions around one of our last remaining cultural symbols, I ask if people have finally had enough? Are we going to go as a Country quietly into the ether of time and history or are we going to stand up for ourselves and get back into the driver’s seat?

I have visited at least one Country now that is willing to culturally enforce its right to exist and will not bend to outside pressure from anyone. I do not think we need to copy the model but I think there are some important lessons we can learn about asserting ourselves and our right to exist as a sovereign nation in a world that we’ve told can define our Countries values for us.

The hour is later then we think…

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Thanks for reading!